Lactation Consultant

Breastfeeding Support and Pump Reimbursement:
Did you know that you can be reimbursed for these services? How great is that? And here is some information if your insurance company is denying you the coverage for breastfeeding support and counseling for any of these reasons, they are breaking the law, and now you have the evidence to prove it!

​

1. Contact the Department of Labor's FAQ site for the ACA, submit an appeal, and submit a complaint to your SC State Department of Insurance.

2. Then contact the National Women's Law Center CoverHer line to report the violation. The National Women's Law Center also has a Toolkit with Phone Scripts and a ready-made Appeal Letter.

​

​

SC Breastfeeding Action Committee

​

Breastfeeding is the gold standard of infant feeding due to multiple health benefits to mother and baby. South Carolina has encouraged breastfeeding and acknowledged it as a public right.

 

In 1997, Lin Cook joined forces with SC State Representative Chip Limehouse to introduce legislation protecting a mother's right to breastfeed in public. The bill made it to the House Judiciary Committee where it was vetoed. In 2005, when a mother was denied access to a dressing room in a popular retail store, the movement was born again. Lin called Rep. Limehouse and organized the first town meeting in Charleston regarding the introduction of another such bill. Thus began the South Carolina Breastfeeding Action Committee (SCBAC). The group consisted of 6 women from all different backgrounds including a lawyer and public relations consultant.

The SCBAC spent the fall of 2005 traveling around the state to Columbia, Beaufort, Spartanburg, and Rock Hill holding town meetings, similar to the one first in Charleston. Each town meeting consisted of a professional panel comprised of lactation consultants, La Leche League leaders, pediatricians, obstetricians, registered dieticians, and more. All the while, the SCBAC was building a database of supporters and sending alerts as needed.

 

In January of 2006, the bill, H 4347, was read in front of the House Judiciary Committee of Special Law. The bill had several supporters speak and there was much press circulated including interviews on Geraldo at Large and ABC News. The bill proceeded to the full Judiciary Committee where it passed unanimously on February 9th. The bill then moved to the full House of Representatives where it passed unanimously. During all of this, the SCBAC traveled to Columbia at least once a week to talk to the legislators. H 4347 then followed a similar process in the Senate. It passed unanimously through the Senate subcommittee, full Judiciary Committee, and Senate. The bill was amended slightly in the Senate sub-committee and because of this was sent back to the House of Representatives for unanimous consent. The House consented on April 25th and the bill was signed into law by Gov. Mark Sanford on May 2nd, 2006.

 

As a result of the legislation being signed into law, the SCBAC has joined forces with the Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the SC Breastfeeding Coalition to produce wallet-sized cards with the law printed on them. These cards are available to all families giving birth in South Carolina. The SCBAC and Lin have been honored with awards as well. The members of the SCBAC were recognized by the Loving Support training (Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work is the result of a 1996 cooperative agreement between the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Best Start Social Marketing, Inc. The purpose of the campaign was to develop and implement a breastfeeding and promotion campaign that is national in scope and implemented at the State level. ) in South Carolina and Lin was recognized for her work to promote breastfeeding at the La Leche League of South Carolina Conference in 2006.​

​